The 4 Steps To Reading For Optimal Life Improvement

Reading is the holy grail of productive activities.

Every smart, rich, or successful person spends half of their breath preaching the value of reading.

And I'm no exception.

Reading is a very powerful tool.

And I'm sure we've all heard it before.

If you have any ambition to evolve into the best version of yourself, chances are you've read your fair share of non-fiction books.

But the funny thing is that even though we all know how powerful reading is, many of us don't know how to read.

And I don't mean how to read like pronouncing the letters you see on the page.

But rather I mean how to read like making the most of the things you read and not wasting your time.

Here's the 4 steps to reading for optimal life improvement.

The first step is setting your goal.

Because I know we're all WIPs here, let's say most of our goals is to be richer, smarter, or more productive.

The genre of choice for these type of goals is definitely non-fiction.

So we need to spend more time in the non-fiction section.

While you can definitely learn a few new things in a racy teen drama novel, you're best bet is to stick with the books meant for learning.

It sounds silly but there are many people who go into a bookstore with no goal and just start reading.

That sounds like fun.

But for us go-getter WIPs, time is money. So we have to be efficient with every minute and have intention behind every second.

Step two is reading books to discover and explore the possibilities.

You want to know what your goal is and then explore every option and idea there is to learn to reach that goal.

So if my goal was to lose weight, I should absolutely NOT jump into a book that's teaching me the steps of following the keto diet.

That's backwards.

You want to skim through a book like that. Or better yet, find a book that goes through many different weight loss diets.

The books you read have a major effect on the life you lead.

In step two, it's all about taking the time to use books as research.

You should discover at least one new idea or concept through the books you read in step two.

Don't go deep but rather go wide.

The more ideas and concepts, the better.

Step three is choosing one book, with one idea to apply in real life.

This is the best part of reading for optimal life improvement.

In step three we get to take one concept we learned, and put it into action.

There is no better feeling than learning something amazing in a book and seeing it actually add value to your life in the real world.

So read a book or books about this single idea and go deep.

This concept, idea, book, or style should apply to your life and the problems you are facing right now.

Don't go deep on a book about managing 100 employees when you're just starting up your first company.

I know it's hard to turn knowledge away. But it makes the knowledge you do take in more powerful and potent.

Even I have to remind myself, that all knowledge is not meant for me in this very moment.

Be honest with yourself.

Is the book you're reading right now, going to add value to your life in the next 6 months?

If the answer is no, put it down.

There's a book that's perfect for your situation that is waiting to be discovered.

Step four is sharing the knowledge and insights you gained.

This is one of the most important parts of learning anything.

They say you only truly understand a concept when you can teach it to a child.

I believe that.

But what I believe even more, is that knowledge isn't meant to be hoarded...it's meant to be shared.

So take the knowledge you learned and the insights from applying it to your life and share it with others.

It not only helps you hold the information better, it exponentially grows the impact of that knowledge.

You get to rephrase it so others understand it better.

And you become a leader and helper in the process.

Never ever soak knowledge up and leave it to rot in your brain.

Apply the knowledge you learn, and even better share that knowledge on to others who seek it.

That is the optimal way to read for an improved life.

There is no problem, question, or concern that can't be addressed through reading with these steps.

All the knowledge and information is out there.

It's up to us to make use of i...

In progress,

Tim